Deepika, Ranveer set for ‘band, baaja, baaraat’ in Italy

A six year-long love story will culminate with a wedding on Wednesday when actors Deepika Padukone and Ranveer Singh tie the knot in a dreamy Lake Como setting in Italy amidst a tight circle of family and friends.

The actors, adored for their on-screen chemistry in movies like “Goliyon Ki Raasleela Ram-Leela” and “Bajirao Mastani”, as much as for their off-screen chemistry, left for the wedding revelry to Italy last week.

There are only about 40 guests for the celebrations, and fans of the couple on social media have been pining to get a glimpse of the pre-wedding galas.

But their appetite is not being satiated not just due to strict security instructions, but because mobile phones are not allowed outside people’s rooms, those in the know of developments told IANS.

They are in Northern Italy’s Lombardy region, an upscale resort area known for its spectacular scenery.

Deepika and Ranveer exchanged rings on Monday evening, and a more ‘desi’ touch to the celebrations came in with the ‘mehendi’ function on Tuesday afternoon, followed by a music-filled ‘sangeet’ the same evening.

For the mehendi, Deepika wore a Sabyasachi Mukherjee creation and the couple was colour co-ordinated. Singer Harshdeep Kaur, along with Sanjoy Das, Bobby Pathak and Firoz Khan performed at the ceremony.

The wedding spans two days of ceremonies. On Wednesday, they will marry according to Konkani customs, while on the following day, they will have a traditional Anand Karaj ceremony.

Deepika, daughter of badminton ace Prakash Padukone, is likely to wear a Sabyasachi ensemble for the Anand Karaj.

Bollywood buffs are curious what the couple will wear, and hashtags to the tune of #DeepVeer and #DeepVeerKiShaadi have been trending on social media.

Poles apart from each other in personality, Deepika and Ranveer’s love story began on the sets of “… Ram-Leela”. Their off-screen camaraderie gave enough hints to their fans, the media and the film fraternity that love was brewing.

But they never confirmed their relationship until recently. They put to rest months of speculation about their nuptials with a social media announcement in October of their wedding dates.

“We thank you for all the love you have showered upon us over the years and seek your blessings as we embark on this incredible journey of love, loyalty friendship and togetherness,” they said in the announcement.

Over the years, Deepika has been a bit more reserved than Ranveer in expressing her love openly, but the “Band Baaja Baaraat” actor has been uninhibited.

While they spoke a bit about their likes and dislikes about each other at a summit in the capital in October, it is only on “Koffee With Karan” that Deepika was a little more open about her relationship with Ranveer.

After their very private wedding ceremonies, the couple will have a reception each in Bengaluru and Mumbai on November 21 and 28, respectively.

They have urged their guests to direct gifts in the form of a donation to Deepika’s The Live Love Laugh Foundation, which works towards spreading awareness on mental health.